MCSE Computational Science and Engineering at Rice University

Programme overview

The MCSE is a non-thesis master's degree designed to provide training in computational science and engineering and in data engineering and analytics. It is jointly offered by the Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research (CMOR) and Statistics (STAT) departments, and applicants choose one as their home department. Specialisation areas include scientific computing, high-performance computing, data analytics, data engineering, data science and machine learning.

Faculty: George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing | Department: Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research / Statistics | Duration: 30 credit hours minimum | Intake: Fall (deadline February 1) | Study mode: full-time | Location: Houston, TX, United States

What you will study

Core courses include CMOR 522 Numerical Analysis 1, COMP 543 Graduate Tools and Models - Data Science and STAT 518 Probability 1. Specialisation courses include CMOR 517 Scientific Machine Learning, CMOR 521 High Performance Computing and STAT 613 Statistical Machine Learning 1, plus three electives (at least 9 credit hours) and at least one communication, leadership, ethics or practicum course.

Career pathways

Intended for technical and managerial positions such as computational scientist, computational engineer, data engineer and data analyst.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Programme: a completed BA or BS in an engineering or science discipline with training in engineering mathematics, statistical foundations and programming methodology; fall applications due February 1. Degree completion needs a 2.67 minimum GPA. Rice engineering master's programmes (applies to the programme group): applicants generally need at least a 3.0 (B) undergraduate GPA; the GRE is generally not required, though individual programmes may recommend or require it; three letters of recommendation; official transcripts from every university attended. International applicants without a degree from an English-language institution need TOEFL iBT 90, IELTS 7 or Duolingo English Test 115. Deadlines vary by programme.

Fall 2027 entry; most doctoral programmes close December 1, 2026; professional master's programmes such as MCS, MDS, MME and MChE use rolling or later deadlines (May 1 international, July 1 domestic).

Master's application fee is $85. Mechanical Engineering MME and Chemical Engineering MChE close May 1 (international) and July 1 (domestic) for Fall; Computer Science MCS/MDS close between February 10, 2027 (scholarship consideration) and July 1, 2027.

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